Stephen Randall PHYS 411 Homework #6

9.1 By explicit differentiation, check that the functions f

1
, f
2
, and f
3
in the text satisfy the wave
equation. Show that f
4
and f
5
do not.
Since this is just straightforward computation, we do it in Mathematica:
where the rst three Trues show that f
1
, f
2
, and f
3
satisfy the wave equation, and the last two
Falses show that f
4
and f
5
do not.
9.2 Show that the standing wave f (z, t) = Asin(kz) cos(kvt) satises the wave equation, and
express it as the sum of a wave traveling to the left and a wave traveling to the right.
f
z
= Ak cos(kz) cos(kvt) ,

2
f
z
2
= Ak
2
sin(kz) cos(kvt) ,
f
t
= Akv sin(kz) sin(kvt) , and

2
f
t
2
= Ak
2
v
2
sin(kz) cos(kvt) ,
so yes, this function satises the wave equation. Using the trigonometric identity
sin u cos b =
1
2
[sin(u + v) + sin(u v)] ,
we have (with u = kt and v = kvt)
f (z, t) =
1
2
[sin(k(z + vt)) sin(k(z vt))]
Stephen Randall PHYS 411 Homework #6
9.3 Use Equation (9.19) to determine A
3
and
3
in terms of A
1
, A
2
,
1
, and
2
.
Taking Equation (9.19), multiplying each side by its complex conjugate, using the denition of
cosine in terms of complex exponentials, and taking a square-root gives
A
3
= A
2
1
+ A
2
2
+ 2A
1
A
2
cos(
1

2
)
To get
3
, we expand Equation (9.19) into sinusoids:
A
3
(cos
3
+ i sin
3
) = (A
1
cos
1
+ A
2
cos
2
) + i(A
1
sin
1
+ A
2
sin
2
) .
Then
tan
3
=
A
1
sin
1
+ A
2
sin
2
A
1
cos
1
+ A
2
cos
2

3
= arctan
_
A
1
sin
1
+ A
2
sin
2
A
1
cos
1
+ A
2
cos
2
_
9.8 Equation (9.36) describes the most general linearly polarized wave on a string. Linear polarization
results from the combination of of horizontally and vertically polarized waves on the same phase. If the
two components are of equal amplitude, but out of phase by 90

, the result is a circularly polarized wave.

In that case:
a) At a xed point z, show that the string moves in a circle about the z-axis. Does it go clockwise or
counterclockwise as you look down the axis towards the origin? How would you construct a wave going
the other way?
At a xed z, the horizontally and vertically polarized parts, f
h
and f
v
, of the wave are Acos(kz
t + /2) y and Acos(kz t) x, respectively. The 90

phase shift allows us to change the

horizontal part to a sine wave (instead of cosine), giving that A
2
= f
2
h
+ f
2
v
. Thus the total wave
f
h
+ f
v
lives on a circle of radius A.
Plugging in a few values for t, we see that it circles counterclockwise. To go the other way, wed
need to reverse the phase difference; 90

90

.
b) Sketch the string at time t = 0.
c) How would you shake the string in order to produce a circularly polarized wave?
Our hand should move in a circle of radius A.
Stephen Randall PHYS 411 Homework #6
9.23 a) Shallow water is nondispersive; waves travel at a speed that is proportional to the square
root of the depth. In deep water, however, the waves cant feel all the way down to the bottom they
behave as though the depth were proportional to . Show that the wave velocity of deep water waves is
twice the group velocity.
Since v = a

for some constant a, we have that = a

2k. The group velocity is given by

v
g
=
d
dk
=
a
2
(2k)
1/2
(2) =
a
2
_
2
k
=
a
2

=
1
2
v
b) In quantum mechanics, a free particle of mass m traveling in the x direction is described by the
wavefunction
(x, t) = Ae
i(pxEt)/ h
,
where p is the momentum and E = p
2
/2m is the kinetic energy. Calculate the group velocity and the
wave velocity. Which one corresponds to the classical speed of the particle?
From the expression above, we can read off the wave number and angular velocity:
k =
p
h
and =
E
h
.
Then
v =

k
=
E
p
=
p
2m
and
v
g
=
d
dk
= h
d
dp
_
p
2
2m h
_
=
p
m
Classically, p = mv, so the classical velocity is given by v
g
.
9.31 Work out the theory of transverse magnetic (TM) modes for a rectangular wave guide. In
particular, nd the longitudinal electric eld, the cutoff frequencies, and the wave and group velocities.
Find the ratio of the lowest TM cutoff frequency to the lowest TE cutoff frequency, for a given wave guide.
Simply proceeding exactly as in Section 9.5.2 although now with B
z
= 0 and E
z
= 0 we
have, from analogy with Equation (9.186) that the longitudinal electric eld is
E
z
= E
0
cos
_
mx
a
_
cos
_
ny
b
_
for integers m and n. The cutoff frequencies are exactly as in Equation (9.188);

mn
= c
_
_
m
a
_
2
+
_
n
b
_
2
Stephen Randall PHYS 411 Homework #6
The wave and group velocities are just as in Equations (9.191) and (9.192);
v =
c
_
1 (
mn
/)
2
and v
g
= c
_
1 (
mn
/)
2
The boundary conditions place a different lower bound on the TM modes, so for a given wave
guide, the lowest TM cutoff frequency divided by the lowest TE cutoff frequency is
lowest TM
lowest TE
=

11

10
=
_
1 + (a/b)
2
9.37 A microwave antenna radiating at 10 GHz is to be protected from the environment by a plastic
shield of dielectric constant 2.5. What is the minimum thickness of this shielding that will allow perfect
transmission (assuming normal incidence)?
From Equation (9.199), we know that T = 1 when sin(n
2
d/c) = 1. This occurs at a shortest
distance d = c/n
2
. Since n
2
=
_
/
0

0
, assuming that

=
0
allows us to say that
n
2

=

r
=

2.5. This gives

d =
(3 10
8
)

2.5(2)(10 10
9
)
9.5 mm
9.38 Light from an aquarium goes from water (n = 4/3) through a plane of glass (n = 3/2) into air
(n = 1). Assuming its a monochromatic plane wave and that it strikes the glass at normal incidence,
nd the minimum and maximum transmission coefcients. You can see the sh clearly; how well can it
see you?
Directly from Equation (9.199), we have the transmission coefcient
T =
48
49 + (85/36) sin
2
(3d/2c)
.
Letting the sine piece vanish gives the maximum transmission coefcient, and letting it be 1
gives the minimum:
T
max
=
48
49
0.980 and T
min
=
1728
1849
0.935
Noting that Equation is invariant under switching n
1
and n
3
, the sh and I can see each other
equally well.
Bonus In solving for the transverse electric waves in a rectangular wave guide, the text informs us
in Equation (9.182) that using
1
X
d
2
X
dx
2
= k
2
x
and
1
Y
d
2
Y
dy
2
= k
2
y
Stephen Randall PHYS 411 Homework #6
allows the derivation of a solution. Describe what happens if we assume instead that
1
X
d
2
X
dx
2
= k
2
x
+ and
1
Y
d
2
Y
dy
2
= k
2
y

where is some constant. How does this change the solutions? Do solutions exist for non-vanishing ?
This changes the solutions by a modication of the argument to the sinusoids:
k
x
(k
2
x
)
1/2
and k
y
(k
2
y
+)
1/2
.
If is such that either k
x
or k
y
maps to an imaginary quantity, we lose the sinusoidal behavior.
So yes, solutions exist for non-vanishing , but must satisfy the conditions
k
2
x
0 and k
2
y
+ 0 .